2004 Smoker Craft – Sylvan Marine Spring Walleye Challenge results

The Smoker Craft – Sylvan Marine Spring Walleye tournament was held on March 27th and 28th in Umatilla Oregon. This tournament was the first of three tournaments in the Columbia River Walleye Circuit. All of the tournaments are catch and release. One hundred and Twenty fishermen and women entered the tournament, with entries from Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, and Idaho. Each two person team pays and entry fee of $230. They may weigh in up to six fish per day, only 2 of which may be over 24”. The total payout for the weekend came in at over $17,180!

On Saturday the weather was uncooperative with very high winds. Despite the weather, 23 fish were weighed in with an average weight of 5.40 pounds. The team of Bill Porter and Al Keffer of Cheyenne Wyoming showed that they had what it took. They boated an impressive 37.22 pounds to take over the day one lead. Not only did their bag contain the big fish of the day at 15.64 pounds they also had another fish weighing in at 14.38 pounds! These two bites guaranteed them a check for $840, assuring them the big fish of the day. Mark Overstreet and Rusty Knight had the second heaviest bag of the day at 21.92#. The third place team for Saturday was a long time tournament team from Toledo Washington, Bobby Nesland and Art Merzoian. They weighed in 17.94#.

Sunday the weather did cooperate. Light breezes and warm temperatures prevailed. The big bag brought to the scale on Sunday belonged to the team of Doug Allen of Yakima and Dave Gallagher of Hermiston. They weighed three fish for total weight of 23.36# pounds, after not weighing in a single fish on Sunday. Still this would make their total weight heavy enough to earn them third place for the weekend.

Porter and Keffer proved that consistency is what it takes to win a tournament. They brought another 13.08 pounds to the scale on Sunday, bringing their total weight to and impressive 50.40 pounds for the weekend, more than twice second places weight. Porter and Keefer returned to Wyoming with a check for more than $7,600, which included a $2000 bonus from Smoker Craft Boats! Overstreet and Knight ended up with a total weight of 24.82 pounds for the weekend, giving them a second place finish. Nesland and Merzoian managed to haul in 20.92 pounds for the weekend, putting them in forth place for the tournament.

Eighty-two walleye were weighed in over the weekend for a total weight of 358.74#. Thirty-five of the sixty teams brought fish to the scales.

The Columbia River Walleye Circuit will be holding their second tournament of the 2004 season, The High Desert Marine Walleye Derby, July 10th and 11th in Boardman. For more information on this or any of the Columbia River Walleye Circuit Tournaments you can contact the Tournament Director, Rod McKenzie at 541-567-8419.